| The rats are bathed, nails cut, and they look healthy. They are lined up on the table. Who will win the rat show? Will it be the one with the fanciest color or markings? Or will it be the quiet plain black one on the end? For many, attending a rat show is a satisfying and enjoyable part of the rat fancy. You can meet new people and possibly take home ribbons. But, it also can be confusing if it is your first time. Rats win by one point and understanding what goes on in a rat show will increase your fun and odds of winning. In order to show, you will need to find a club near you. You can find a club through internet search engines. There are national clubs with chapters in many areas and there are regional clubs. In the USA, there is the RMFE or Rats and Mice Fanciers for Excellence, AFRMA, or American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association. In Northwest USA, there is RatsPacNW, a regional club for Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and BC. In Northern California, there is RMFE, the Rat Mouse and Hamster Enthusiasts. In the United Kingdoms, there is the NFRS, National Fancy Rat Society. Once you found a club, evaluate your rat. They must conform to standards of color, type, and markings, set by the show club. Learning these standards will help you choose the best rats to take with you to the show. While most club's standards are similar, there are regional differences. Write your club or check the Internet for specifics. Winning traits such as bone structure, color and markings are genetically bred into the rat and you can do little to change them. But, you do have control over the things that may give you that extra point when all things are equal. Temperament, health and condition are points that you can influence. A show rat has an outgoing, friendly and curious disposition. They can be squirmy, but never frightened. A rat that shrieks, eliminates from fear, or bites will loose points or be disqualified. Some rats are bred with docile temperaments and others are down right excitable. Begin socializing your rat well before a show. Get it used to new people and experiences. Health and condition go hand in hand. Remember this is a beauty contest and only the best are invited. Keep pregnant, nursing or post pregnant rats at home. Very old rats, like people, loose their hair and their bodies get a little thin or marshmellowy. Leave these and rats recovering from illness behind. A rat is in its show prime between 3 months and one year. All food and water should be optimum to keep your rat looking good. Groom your rat before a show. Two days before a show, bathe your rat in warm water with shampoo or soap. For hairless, bathe a few days before a show as they tend to get dandruff right after a bath. Use an old toothbrush to slightly scrub the tail. Believe it or not, over the years, I and many other judges have came up with a test to determine if a rat has been bathed. It is called the sniff test. Don’t kid yourself, we know what a rat that is un-bathed smells like! Clip your rats nails. Take the tiny hook off the tip of the nail using baby human nail clippers. Do not go past the pink part. A judge will definitely favor a rat that doesn't scratch them. Imagine what a judge's hands look like after handling a hundred rats and cleaning them with hand sanitizer in between - you get the picture! The Show… Years ago, when I went to my first show, with a motley crew of pet store rats, I had no idea what to expect, but after winning many ribbons including a Best of Show Reserve, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue. So, you found a show to go to, what next? There are pre-entry shows and Day of Entry shows. At a pre-entry show, you must register your rat three weeks or so before the date of the show. This is to enforce a mandatory three week quarantine period for all rats. At Day of Entry shows, rats are entered the morning of the show. These shows usually have no written quarantine procedures, but it is highly suggested you follow the three week quarantine. It is an honor system that protects your rats from others and theirs from yours. Usually, upon check-in, rats are inspected for parasites and illness. There is no place to keep ill rats, so do not bring them. Why the need for Quarantine? Plainly speaking: there are no commercial vaccines available, as of yet, for rats. This is troubling because rats get respiratory illness easily. Except for a few laboratory specimens, all rats harbor a potentially deadly bacteria called Mycoplasma in their nasal cavity that, when the rat is stressed, takes over its airways causing sneezing and snuffles. Airborne viral infections are also common and can be contracted almost anywhere a rat exists in contact with other rats. Depending on the type of virus, they can cause a week to ten days of simple sneezing or they can be fatal. Sadly, a viral illness can be the catalyst for a Mycoplasma infection, further stacking the odds up against the rat. To protect your rats from others and theirs from yours, do not bring any rats from your colony that get ill within that time. After your rats have been cleared to show, go into the building and listen for your variety and class to be called. While waiting, let your rats snooze, eat grapes and snacks. Refrain from letting visitors play with your rat. Unfortunately, they can carry a deadly illness or parasites on their clothes and infect your rat. You do not know if that visitor is looking for a new rat because theirs just died of communicable disease or if their are at home for the same reason. Visit, look at animals for sale, and have fun. When you hear your group called, bring your rat to the table in a show box. That is a plastic critter keeper large enough for the rat to turn around in or snooze comfortably. Drop your rat off on the table and leave, do not engage the judge or make it obvious which rat is yours. Practice good sportsmanship. After your class is finished, pick up your rat. If it won, you may be asked to bring it back for the next round of Judging. The winners of the each section/class, based on highest points, will move up to be judged against the other section/class winners in each variety for the Best of Variety award. If you win this award, your rat has been deemed the rat that most highly represents that variety at that show…quite an honor, indeed. Winners of best of Variety are moved on to compete against the other variety winners for the Best in Show and Best of Show Reserve awards. These awards are exactly what they read, the two best rats in the entire show win these rather large ribbons or trophies. Does your rat have to be heavily pedigreed to win? Not necessarily. It depends on how good your eye is for picking nice looking rats. The first thing I look at is rat's body. I look for the shoulders and hip being of similar width, a nice arch, good neck and head. Eyes must be prominent, but not buldgy. The exact color is not as important as whether it is a consistant and even, without blotchiness and fading (except in the case of merles). Markings must conform to standards. Winners will be the best example of that variety, whether it be curly haired, satin, manx, hairless, dumbo or standard. Any rat that wins first or second is usually a show quality rat. Use your score card to choose a mate that compliments it’s best and worst qualities. After a couple shows, you may be able to spot the next Best of Show rat in your litters! |
| Rat Show 101 How to show rats at Rat Show! by D. Needham Adapted from my booklet, Breeders and Hobbyists Fancy Rat Standards and Genetics |
| Webpages that have Good Advice on Keeping Rats Healthy! Using Echinacea Drops as an Herbal Health Booster! The Rat Sneezies...Respiratory Illnesses & Some Causes of Sneezes! |